Where I Do and Don't Belong
by A'isha Ishtar
Summary: Megan was looking forward to her summer vacation. On a big old ship in the middle of the Caribbean, for who knew how long? That was her dream. But by "big old ship", she didn't mean the Flying Dutchman. And by "middle of the Caribbean"... she didn't mean being sucked into a freaking movie. Although, her favorite character's right there... ready for the taking. Clanker/OC
1. Chapter 1

**I REALLY don't need to add to my growing pile of unfinished stories. I really, REALLY don't.**

**But meh, Clanker is sexy, so who cares? *runs around in a Team Clanker t-shirt holding a sign that says "CLANKER MARRY ME"***

**I took a bit of inspiration from "Same Difference" and its sequel, one of my favorite series, by the amazing Vampirex1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Maccus, but because I've recently taken on Clanker as my current favorite, well... yeah.**

**And actually, that story isn't where the inspiration for this came from. No, it came when I was listening to music, practicing drawing hands. Because hands are the hardest f-ing thing to draw. Besides poses, but that's beside the point. I drew the hand coiled around a rope, and of course the hand had to be attached to an arm. Before I knew it, I had a nice woman who was dress in Converse, jeans, and a t-shirt with a picture of a dead sun that said "A RAY OF FREAKIN' SUNSHINE".**

**So I titled it, and actually this is the original title. LOL. I also decided it would be best described as "a POTC time-tripping Clanker love story".**

**So, I'm going to work very hard on the next chapter soon as I post, and I hope you all like and leave me some nicey reviews! :D**

* * *

_I found myself in Wonderland_

_Get back on my feet again_

_Is this real? Is it pretend?_

_I'll take a stand until the end_

_I... I'll get by_

_I... I'll survive_

_When the world's crashin' down_

_When I fall and hit the ground_

_I will turn myself around_

_Don't you try to stop me_

_I... I won't cry..._

_~"Alice", Avril Lavigne_

* * *

_It be Flyin' Dutchman Month here at the Drunken Sailor!_ Megan Reese's fingers flew effortlessly and excitedly over the keyboard as she typed up her latest post for the website. Her luggage sat next to her, and her computer was on her lap. Thankful that the airport had wi-fi, she continued.

_Ye all know what that means, me scurvy dogs. Ev'ry single day this month, me posts will contain info, analyzation, 'n' popular references o' all things Flyin' Dutchman. Mayhap even some jokes, if I find it funny ta drink rum, then sit there 'n' stare at the empty bottle. Not ta mention, I'll scour the rest o' the world wide web fer pictures. Includin' the ones from the official wiki, but I'll be bloody flogged by Jimmy Legs if I don't find more!_

_Also, as a side note, I'm vacationin' in the Caribbean fer the summer. Haha, yes, I'm livin' the dream, poppets. Hopefully it'll give me a LOT of inspiration, 'n' I promise I'll post every day as usual. I might be havin' quite a lot o' fun though, so fer those of ye that follow regularly, bear wit' me if I'm an hour or two late! I shall have much fun runnin' round the cruise ship 'n' yellin' "Scungilli!" at ev'ryone._

_Yo ho ho, a bottle o' rum, 'n' a jar o' dirt to ye all, lads 'n' lasses!_

_-Maraudin' Meg_

"Gate 26, now boarding. Gate 26."

Megan quickly closed her laptop and put it into its padded carry-on case. Oh well, she'd have to work on typing up the first article while she was already in the air. It'd be something to do, at least, instead of sleeping or... dying of boredom. She already had a rough order of how she was going to do the articles; captain first, obviously, then according to who seemed most popular with the fans. Unfortunately, that meant poor Angler was probably going to be coming up last. She seldom saw his _name_ in fics, let alone him being a central character.

_Fortunately,_ though, that meant she'd get to write about her favorite character as one of the first handful. "Oh, Clanker, love," she muttered, adopting a fake English accent as she slung her case and purse over her shoulder and grabbed the handle on her obnoxiously neon pink rolling suitcase. "Someday I shall make a hat like yours. And then I shall make a wig of seaweed. Then I shall put them on, parade around, and pretend I'm you. Because you are too sexy for your shirt, but sadly I cannot be because that would break several laws."

She searched for the sign that indicated her gate, and headed in that direction. "Of course, m'dear," she added in her regular American tourist voice, under her breath so the other passengers wouldn't think she was crazy, "not today. Today it's good-bye, rainy Oregon... and hello to _Aruba, Jamaica, oooooh I wanna take ya to Bermuda, Bahamas, come on pretty mama..._"

She raised an eyebrow at herself. "Er, just so we're clear, brain voices, no lesbo. That's just the song, thank you very much."

* * *

Boarding the plane wouldn't have taken so long, honestly, if there hadn't been a line. If there was one thing Megan hated, it was lines. But oh well for her, because it seemed that the world simply _ran_ on lines. Whenever she didn't want to see a line, one randomly cropped up in front of her.

She insisted on not stowing her luggage, since there was nobody else in her row. She kept it right beside her; she wasn't far from the door, and she wanted to be the first one out and enjoying the Caribbean. While all the other poor suckers were clamoring to get their bags from the top, she'd be laughing it up at a kiosk.

The plane's takeoff was something she wasn't used to, and it was a bit rough to her, but it wasn't all bad. Once she was strapped into her seat, she intended to stay there till her bladder forced her to go to the bathroom. She had to get started typing; if she got a few articles done in advance, then maybe she could upload them on their designated days and not spend a lot of time writing when she could be enjoying her vacation.

_Arrrrr! Ourrrrr first order o' business fer Flyin' Dutchman Month, o' course, be her glorious captain. As any seafarin' bloke/lass knows, that be the most feared, legendary, but tragically misunderstood Davy Jones. Yarr! Look ta yer left fer a photographic representation. Are ye lookin'? Do ye have the heart ta look? LOOK!_

_Hardy har har! A bit o' humor fer my regulars out there. Now, in case ye be new ta the legend of Davy Jones... well, first, look at the tentacles. How much ye wanna wager they squirm about when he's talkin'? Aye, sometimes they do, but that's usually only if he REALLY be angry. Like that one time Beckett Cutler... err, SOMETIMES KNOWN CUTLER BECKETT!... (LOL, mates, it seems Barbossa's actor has invaded me keyboard wit' his blooper reel) brought the Dead Man's Chest, which contains Captain Jones's heart, onta the ship. That, me hearties, is what be called a "dick move"._

_The story of Davy Jones and the sea goddess Calypso be a heartrendin' affair, 'n' it also be very well-known. But, if ye've just stumbled upon the wonderful world of pirates, swordfightin', 'n' rum, I'll give ye rats a colorful retellin'. *AHEM*_

Megan paused, leaning forward and grabbing her cup. Before she started this, she would need a good long drink. She briefly opened up her folder of pictures, making sure she had at least a few to get herself started for Davy. And yep, there were maybe four. Huzzah. As she scrolled back up, preparing to close it, she caught sight of the many pictures she'd accumulated of Clanker.

To say he was her favorite would be an understatement. Her hunger for fics and pics of him could never be satisfied. So far she had eight pictures of him, and each one was something different and special, yet she wanted more.

A concept art picture, in which he was proudly displaying his chain-shot. Two pictures of him looking up at different angles, from when he told Will to "get down on yer marrowbones 'n' pray!" A _Dead Man's Chest_ promotion shot of his face from the front. A picture of him grinning on the _Dutchman,_ probably ready to put that chain-shot to good use. A picture of him laughing before the game of Liar's Dice between Davy and Will. A picture of him turning the Kraken Hammer capstan. A picture of his agony-ridden face as Jimmy whipped him while he was turning the Kraken Hammer capstan.

Then the group pictures. One of him on deck with Hadras, Palifico, and the Twins, laughing and clearly ready to whup some ass. One of him on land with Koleniko, Jimmy Legs, Crash, and a couple others she couldn't see well enough to make out. One of him standing amongst the crew (which included Hadras, Maccus, Jimmy Legs, and Ogilvey) while Davy opened the titular Dead Man's Chest. One of him near Palifico when Beckett was pissing off Davy. One of him behind Palifico as they were all staring in a "Come Sail Away" manner on the ship. And her favorite "Dutchman camaraderie" pic, of him playing Liar's Dice with Maccus and Koleniko.

So, counting all his individual pictures and those he was in a group of... that made 14 pictures of Clanker.

... Wow. And most people didn't even know if his real name was Clanker or Clacker. (Pfft. _Clacker._ Silly name for a pirate, if you asked her.)

Was it odd that she obsessed over his each and every facial expression and moment of screen time? Or that she had saved the clip of him saying his famous quote to her hard drive and listened to it like twenty times every day? She often called him "poor Clanker", because it seemed that while he was eager to fight with the others, it looked like he was just a good-natured, likes-to-laugh kind of guy who'd gotten caught up in that life.

Not to mention, she angsted and traced her finger over the screen every time she brought up that picture of him being whipped. Poor Clanker.

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind. No, she couldn't indulge her obsession right now. Later, but not now. She was typing about the all-powerful captain of the _Dutchman._ An amazing and mysterious man, the stuff of legend. Speaking of legends, hadn't she been writing about his?

Fingers back to the keys, then, just like Fall-Out Boy's "Thanks for the Memories".

_Davy Jones grew up in Scotland, but most o' his early life ain't known. We can only assume he grew up wit' lovin' parents, maybe some siblings, perhaps a dog. Then again, ye know, maybe not. It's all speculation, really._

_As a man, he became a great sailor 'n' pro'lly a captain at some point. Then he fell in love wit' a woman who was essentially the sea itself: the goddess Calypso. Unfortunately, the relationship didn't exactly work out. Mainly because she blew 'is hat off, the bitch! (Again, Barbossa bloopers from AWE, off my keyboard, please.)_

_In all seriousness, though. She charged 'im wit' the duty of ferryin' souls from their death in this life ta the afterlife. After ten years was up, he could finally set foot on land 'n' be wit' her for one day 'fore returnin' ta 'is duties. But, being "in her nature" (read: BITCH) she stood 'im up. So, he showed the pirate lords how ta bind 'er in human form, 'n' cut out 'is heart. Which we can only assume hurt like an 18th-century mofo._

_After that, he abandoned his duties. But eh, we can't really blame 'im, can we? Imagine this girl ye've loved fer ten years, 'n' finally bein' able ta go out wit' 'er. Then ye get to the pizza shop, 'n' she's nowhere in sight._

_"Maybe she's runnin' late," ye figure. So ye wait fer 'er. 'N' wait. 'N' she don't show up fer the whole day. Soon ye're the last poor bugger sittin' in a booth, 'n' the shopkeep kicks ye out onta the unforgivin' streets._

_Ta make it worse, ye gotta go back ta work t'morrow. It was yer only day off, 'n' ye work halfway 'cross the world. So ye can't even yell at 'er in person._

_Wouldn't YOU carve out yer heart too?_

Megan looked over what she had, and sighed. Great. All this talk about the sea, and now she had to go to the bathroom. "Just wonderful," she murmured, reaching down to unbuckle herself. "And there I was, about to make a reference to Cthulu."

She stood up, slipping her computer back in its case for a moment. She quickly tossed her hair back into a ponytail, and hadn't even finished doing so when the pilot came on over the intercom. _"Attention, passengers,"_ his voice echoed through the aisles, and she paused briefly to look up at the speaker. _"We're hitting some unusually rough turbulence. It is strongly advised that you all fasten your seat-"_

Before he could finish his sentence, the plane lurched. Not used to any kind of violent rocking, Megan didn't even have a fighting chance at keeping her balance. She tried to reach out for the seat in front of her, but she ended up tripping over her own two feet. At least she had a comparatively soft landing, falling on top of her luggage, but she also felt her head crack against the bottom of a seat.

Her scream was lost in the screams of everyone else, and she reached up to feel warm liquid seeping out of her head and down her face along with a stream of hot tears. "Oh please, God," she breathed, trying not to pass out, but she was already seeing gray spots across her vision. "God or Calypso or... or whoever the fuck's _listening..._ I-I can't die..."

Her breath caught in her chest as her nose picked up the metallic scent of the blood oozing from the wound on the side of her head. The lights went out; she was dizzy and now she couldn't even cry for help because she couldn't talk.

A black curtain fell over her eyes, and she went limp. She could barely remember the last things she was thinking.

_Oh my God. The plane's crashing. I'm gonna die._

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN. DRAMA FOR YO' MAMA.**

**In all seriousness, though. What am I, a monster? The very first chapter and I left you with a cliffhanger! Will she live? Will she die? Is Calypso going to stop being a bitch?**

**... Err, that's a no on that last one, by the way. But as for the others, I shall not answer till next chapter!**

**Though... it'd REALLY be a bummer if me main character died, wouldn't it...?**

**Well! Hope you guys enjoyed. If you did, please leave me a nicely-worded review!**

**Thanks for reading, mateys!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ahem... THANKS FOR TEH REVIEWS. I had no idea more people than me were into Clanker. :D But it pleases me greatly... I love the crew. I also obsess over Maccus and Koleniko too! But there are more stories about them, believe it or not, than there are about Clanker, poor dear...**

**So yeah. But, as for Clanker's initial characterization here... you can all blame Bad Luck Bree with her "Spring on the Sea Air" and "The Christmas Ship" oneshots, not to mention EarwenLalaith's story "The Piratesse". They've all convinced me that while Clanker is a pirate, he's also a bloody gentleman. AND THE WEIRD THING IS... IT MAKES SENSE TO ME. FFFFFFF I HAVE NO IDEA WHY PROBABLY BECAUSE I'M WEEEEEIRD.**

**But yes. Clanker's a bloomin', God-fearin' gentleman! :)**

**Hope you all like this next chappie! All ashore that's goin' ashore!**

* * *

When Megan came to, she didn't open her eyes right away. She could feel wind rushing by her ear, and whatever she was lying on was rocking a little; her first thought was that the plane must have crashed in the ocean, but that didn't make much sense when she started contemplating it. If the plan fell into the ocean, shouldn't it have sunk? Shouldn't she be, oh, _dead?_

She heard men talking, lowly, and the scent of seawater was more prominent than anything else. The salt of it also stung her eyes, and an agonizing pain thumped against the side of her head where she'd hit the plane seat. She wondered, honestly, whether she'd just hit her head so hard that she was in a coma, and this was some fantasy world her mind dreamed up to distract her. If not... well, she worried for her physical wellbeing _and_ sanity. If so... well, it _was_ a fantasy. Who were these men, and - _please -_ were they drop-dead gorgeous?

_Mm'kay, gotta find out NOW. Get up, body. Come on. Up, up, up. I'm awake now, we can move._

Slowly she was able to force one eye open, shortly followed by its twin. Soon as they were no longer blurred by the salty water, she found herself staring at what appeared to be the deck of a wooden ship. Well, that explained the rocking motions, at least. But she still heard the men's voices. Where were they coming from?

Maybe if she could push herself up and see what the hell was going on around this nuthouse... assuming it _was_ a nuthouse. And she did just that, though she had to start over several times, on account of her wound making her dizzy.

Finally, her eyes landed on what must be the source of the voices. And that was to say, she was looking at what seemed to be the fish-ified crew of the _Flying Dutchman._

She would have assumed they were cosplayers - really _good_ cosplayers, if there was such a thing - if not for the two things that poked a hole in that theory. One... where the hell did you get enough people in the average circle of cosplayer buddies - and forget that the annoying vast majority of people who liked _Pirates of the Caribbean_ were either in it for Jack, Jack the Monkey, Jack and his jar of dirt, Barbossa, Pintel and Ragetti's comic relief, Sparrabeth, Willabeth, or Davylypso - to perform as the _entire damned crew?_ (Barring that terrible pun, it was still strange.)

Two... that didn't explain _why the mother-loving hell_ she was on a boat. Though it did prompt her to yell out, "I'm on a boat, motherfucker!"

"I-I passed out," she muttered, trying to get to her feet and swaying as she did so. "The plane crashed, and I passed out. I'm in a hospital right now, and they're trying to get me out of a God-damned coma. My brain is just... trying to make me happy by acting out my fantasy while I'm unconscious. Oh God, what a dream but..."

"What're ye mumblin' 'bout, lass?"

She snapped her head up, which probably hadn't been a very good idea. Because, in addition to thinking she was staring at Davy Jones, she was also seeing two of him. She stumbled forward, thrusting her hands out in any attempt to steady herself. Why she'd taken even one step she'd never know, but this was quickly becoming the blondest day of her life. She took a spill forward, falling over top of - her luggage? Well, looked like it; pink enough, anyway.

She floundered about for a moment, flailing her arms and kicking her legs, before settling on a course of action. She went limp, glanced up at the double vision _Dutchman_ crew, and finally blurted out, not very loudly but rather clearly, "FUCK", after which she let her head drop back down.

She hadn't even managed to close her eyes when near the whole crew broke out in a fit of raucous laughter. "Why in all me days!" someone shrieked in the midst of their howling.

"I ain't ne'er 'eard a lady say such words!" someone else snorted.

"Ye wager she ain't righ' in the head?"

"Aye, aye, mate - tha's gotta be it!"

None of them really sounded shocked - more amused than anything. She pushed herself up and looked into the crowd. "_Who the hell are __**you**__ guys to be calling __**me**__ crazy?! I think it goes the other way around, fish food!_"

"I think the better question here is, wha' are _you_ doin' on me ship, lass?"

She looked to her right and swallowed. "I'm screwed," were the first words out of her mouth upon seeing Davy Jones coming her way. She quickly stood up, using her luggage as leverage, and tried to straighten herself up a little. "I, uh, I mean, Captain, see..."

He was right in front of her now, probably thanks to that random ninja teleporting thing he could do. "_You_ d'not speak unless y'are spoken tae, is tha' clear, lass?"

She averted her eyes, seeing fit to instead stare down at the deck. "Aye, sir," she mumbled, clasping her hands.

"It seems I'm in need o' some answers, then." He circled around her a bit, and her best guess was that he was trying to intimidate her like a vulture. "Wha' is yer name? Ye do have one, don't ye?"

"Yes, sir. Megan Reese."

"_Megan?_ Somehow it fits ye... though I nary heard o' tha' name." He stomped his peg leg onto the deck, getting even closer. "Now, ye know o' me, but tha' be nae surprise at all considerin' who I am. So, I'm not concernin' meself wit' tha' right now. I'd call ye a witch, but even tha's too tame fer wha' I'm seein' here."

She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to her other hip. "Look, I'm just as confused as you are! I have no idea what I'm doing here, how I got here - by all accounts, it shouldn't even be possible that I'm _here_ right now!" She flung one hand toward the sky. "I was just on a plane in the sky, on my way to a sea-filled vacation!"

He raised a hypothetical eyebrow. "A _wha'?_ Ye mean ye were _flyin'?_ Like I said, I think it be witchcraft..."

"_Yes!_ But it's not what you're thinking of." She kicked at her luggage, pushing some of her hair back. "Okay, so, I guess you could say technically I'm from the future. Um, and/or an alternate dimension." Not giving him the chance to cut her off, she held up her hands in a preemptive _shaddup, lemme finish_ gesture. "Before you _even_ say anything, I know I sound crazy! But I'm _not,_ I swear to God! Just hear me out! _Please!_"

Davy gave her a bitter and caustic look, but he simply snapped his claw. Clearly he decided it wouldn't hurt, and may even be amusing to hear what she had to say for herself. _If_ there was anything in her defense that could explain what was occurring, he'd listen. She did sound completely daft, and yet... neither her clothing nor mannerisms seemed to belong to a lady in this world, pirate or no. "Very well, Miss Reese. Ye've not got long till me patience runs out, sae I suggest ye star' explainin' yerself."

She pointed to the sky. "Okay, well, yeah. I'm from the future, like I said. And where I come from, you guys..." She gestured to him, then to the crew behind him. "Are from movies. Moving pictures, up on a screen... like storytelling, but you can _see_ it!" She tossed her hair over her shoulder without using her hands, then pressed one hand to her chest. "In _my_ world, you don't exist. But believe me when I say - there is _nothing_ I would ever like more than this. You know, meeting you guys."

"I'm followin' ye," he sighed, glancing back to the crew and silently warning them not to speak, "but I'm still no' hearin' _how_ or _why_ ye're here."

She waved her hands. "I don't know either one of those answers! Okay, well, it may have had something to do with the plane. It's kind of like a ship, but... in the sky. And it's mostly just a bunch of seats." She bent down and grabbed her luggage by the handle, hauling it up. "That's why I had this - it's all my stuff, because I was going on vacation to the Caribbean. Which... I guess is where I am, technically." She groaned mentally, because she got the distinct feeling she wasn't explaining this very well. "Anyway, so then... but the plane ran into turbulence, which is like... monster waves, but made of air. And... we crashed."

"_Crashed?_" He gave her a narrow-eyed look, then pointed at the clouds with his claw. "A shipwreck... in the sky?"

"I guess... but the plane fell _out_ of the sky and landed somewhere on the ground." She crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing at the deck with the heel of her shoe. "I..." She shook her head and looked down. "I think I'm here... because I died in the crash."

He snorted, and she held back a fangirl squeal; she wouldn't waste her fangirlishness on him, she'd save it for if she saw her love. "Aye, ye got tha' part righ', at least. The dead appear fer us tae pass judgment."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, Cap, don't lie to me. I know you don't ferry the dead anymore. Not since, you know..." She raised both her eyebrows. "_She_ left you."

Whoops; looked like she probably shouldn't have mentioned that. Almost immediately he was close to her, his claw around her neck. Like he'd done to Bootstrap that one time, to make him watch the Kraken destroy the ship Will was on. "How..." His voice was low, but there was a discernible tremor to it as well. "How do ye _know of her?_"

"Like I said," she managed to choke out, trying to move away, "I've seen the movies. You know, the _moving pictures_ I told you about, like, two minutes ago? It showed your relationship with her."

Davy looked down, probably unsure of what to do. After all, she'd basically just told him that everything he'd previously thought was his private business... well... _wasn't._ That people had seen his conversations with Calypso, and had watched him play his organ... seen him pick up his locket... and... _cry._ She'd seen it - she'd seen it too, and she knew everything. He'd be surprised if she didn't just jump ship right now.

Megan reached up and grabbed his claw, making him look into her eyes. "Personally, I don't think she was _good enough_ for you. I mean, seriously, I was just in the middle of writing about this - she stood you up! You waited ten years for her - _ten years!_ She doesn't even have the decency to meet you, and then she makes up some bullshit excuse about how it's 'in her nature'."

She slid her hand down off his claw, and shook her head, half-closing her eyes. "That would upset me too, but... she... by doing _that,_ she proved she didn't deserve you." She was relieved when she felt his grip loosen just the littlest bit. "You're worth more than you think, you know. All _she_ did was hit it and quit it. That just doesn't fly with me. You and your crew... deserve better than that shit."

After a moment of just them staring at each other, he finally opened his claw and withdrew it away from Megan's throat. He took a step back, the sound of his bad leg on the deck echoing; it was so quiet, the crew wasn't saying anything. He didn't say anything else to her, but turned around to face the crew. "Clanker..." He turned back just a bit, to look at her. "Show Miss Reese to a hammock belowdecks. It seems she'll be stayin' wit' us fer the time bein'."

For a moment, everything seemed to stop for Megan. She'd wanted this forever, for as long as she could remember. It had been an unattainable dream to meet her beloved Clanker, from the second she'd first seen him on the screen. Could it... Could it really be happening now?

There was a bit of a shuffle as the crew moved and mumbled to let him through. At last he emerged, looking confused as anything. His eyes showed puzzlement, but his mouth was set in a straight line, as if not to give away his curiosity. He took a few tentative steps closer, focusing his visible eye, dark and expressive, on her.

She felt her breath catch in her chest, and she couldn't stop an impossibly wide smile from breaking out onto her face. She raised a hand nervously, and used her free hand to wrap about her waist and grasp her other arm as she waved. "Um... h-hi, Clanker." This was so unbelievably surreal that she could just barely squeeze out those few words. She was completely stunned; he was even more handsome in person than she'd seen. The movies did him well enough, though they still didn't quite do him justice.

He nodded wordlessly, clearly not sure what to make of all this. She'd just explained it rather awkwardly, so obviously it hadn't really sunk in yet. Reaching up, he scratched underneath his hat and pointed to her luggage. "Shoul' I... get yer things, Miss Megan?"

No matter how hard she willed it, the smile wouldn't go away. "U-Um... no, I-I think I got it." She reached down and grabbed the big case, extending the handle a bit. She tugged at it, but somehow seeing Clanker right there in front of her had made her go weak in the arms as well as the knees. "Ugh... I got it... I can..."

"Miss Megan?" He bent down and picked up her carry-on bag by the strap. He flashed her a quick smile no one else could see, a turning-up of his lips that induced a tingly warmth all over her skin. "Allow me... trus' me, t'ain't no bother a' all."

She drew in a shaky breath, and if it was at all possible her smile got bigger. "Uh, um... I... thanks."

"O' course." He shifted just a little bit, folding up the strap of her bag, and held out his arm toward her. "Ah... let's go then."

A wave of heat rushed over her, and she walked forward. She almost couldn't believe it was real as she placed her arm first over his, then around it. "Yeah..."

He cast an odd look her way, but didn't say anything and simply gave her a yank toward the stairs. "This way."

* * *

**Bit of a cliffie, but nothing as bad as last chapter, eh? 3**

**So, what do you guys think? Is she dead or not? Although, I s'pose if she's on the Dutchman... hmm...**

**Well! Hope ye review, but thanks fer readin' anyway! ^^**


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